Keeling

[Muggins in Sussex]

In 1897, Maud Rathbone, (b.1869), married William Allison.

Two years earlier, in 1895 Maud had a daughter, Margaret Keeling Rathbone.

I had assumed that Maud had had a previous marriage to a Mr Keeling, as Keeling seems to be only a surname and not a forename.

Margaret's birth certificate has just arrived ,and it confirms her name as Margaret Keeling Rathbone. But there is no father named.

On Margaret's marriage certificate in 1919, she describes her father as William Allison, "stepfather".

Should I just assume she was illegitimate and give up looking for Mr Keeling? :confused:

[Sweetpea]

They often used to put the father's name as a middle name for illegitimate births. I found a 'father' that way because the birth was near a census and he was living next door!!!

But then again it may be a name from further down the mother's family tree

[Muggins in Sussex]

Ooh thank you Tricia :) - I didn't know that!

Joan

[kiterunner]

If you get Maud and William's marriage certificate, it should tell you Maud's marital status, widow or spinster, and give you the name of Maud's father, to sort out the question of whether Maud was married before or not.

[Muggins in Sussex]

Thanks Kite.

I will do just that :)

[Merry]

Looks as if she was single, as in 1901 Maud is down as Maude M Allison and there's this matching birth record:

Births Jun 1869
Rathbone Maud Mary Ecclesall B. 9c 242

The marriage is also Maud Mary.

[Merry]

There are three Keeling men living in Nether Hallam in 1901, so I think it's going to be a bit tricky to discover if one of them was the father of Margaret!

None of them are potato merchants or fish sellers! lol

[Muggins in Sussex]

LOL Merry :d

And thank you

I have just found Margaret's marriage and she used the name Rathbone at her wedding (not Allison) - definately Margaret K Rathbone, not Margaret R which is what it looks like in 1901.